Girls Like Girls
Author Hayley Kiyoko
Ebook & Audio
☆☆
eARC received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
CW grief, death, suicide, toxic relationships, abuse, drugs and alcohol, abortion, homophobia/biphobia
A story that should of about finding love while in the grasp of fresh and raw grief after losing a parent, instead, we had the harsh juxtaposition of it circling between toxic teenage lust and bits about grief interspersed. Grief should have been in the undercurrent of the whole story but was often forgotten about, especially with how fresh the death was, for the lust of the rich girl she just met.
The love interest, Sonya, was not very likeable, struggling with internalised biphobia/homophobia she made sure to take out her confusion on Coley and continued to be toxic throughout the book. Although starting to feel sympathetic, reading her POV other than the AIM messages, I believe, would have positively contributed to her being seen in a more positive light.
Even though this story was intended to be the reflection of the Girls Like Girls music video if you take the ‘romance’ out of this romance book, it shows a sweet damaged girl finding her place in a new town, sharing memories with her previously absent father and creating new ones. Overall it was a good idea but not given justice in its writing and editing.
Devon